The actor who plays the devil on the History channel’s “The Bible” bears more than a passing resemblance to President Obama, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed on social media. So, was it intentional?

‘Utter nonsense’

Responding to the speculation, the History released a statement saying, “History channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s ‘The Bible’ is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”

Executive Producers, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey called the connection “utter nonsense.” And Downey said, “Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our President, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of ‘The Bible.'”

‘Brewing controversy’

False or not, people are tweeting about the brewing controversy. Conservative pundit Glenn Beck, who has called “The Bible” one of the most important shows of the decade, was among the first to point out the similarities between the actor and the president.

The actor’s name is Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni. According to his IMDb page, he has appeared in several religion-focused television-movies, including a 2006 adaptation of “The Ten Commandments” and a 2000 film called “In the Beginning.”

From your point of view, does The Bible’s devil really look like President Obama? And despite History Channel’s statement, do you think it was intentional or not?

An actor in the Harry Potter movies was jailed for two years Tuesday for his role in riots that swept London last summer.

Jamie Waylett, 22, who appeared as Hogwarts school bully Vincent Crabbe in six Harry Potter films, was found guilty of violent disorder at Wood Green Crown Court, in north London.

He also pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods during rioting last August, according to court documents posted online. However, the court cleared him of a charge of possessing an article with intent to destroy or damage property in relation to a petrol bomb he was carrying.

Waylett had chosen to go out on the streets on what was the third day of the violence, the judge said, and video footage showed him near a supermarket that was being looted. Waylett was given a two-year sentence for violent disorder and 12 months for handling stolen goods, to run concurrently, according to the court documents.

Rioting first broke out in Tottenham, north London, in the wake of a peaceful protest over the fatal shooting of a local man by police. It spread to other parts of London and other English cities over the following days. The disorder was followed by a huge police crackdown on suspected rioters.